


Light Me Up

by tessathetesla



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bed & Breakfast, Charging, Coffee Shops, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Philinda, F/M, Honeymoon, Innuendo, Ireland, Islands, Making Love, Marriage, Massage, Oil, Philinda - Freeform, Post-Canon, Retirement, Robot/Human Relationships, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sex, cottages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29751990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tessathetesla/pseuds/tessathetesla
Summary: Post Season 7 Philinda + Extended honeymoon in IrelandPhil and Melinda both take a sabbatical after helping rebuild SHIELD and the Academy. After the reunion, Phil proposes to Melinda over a nice bottle of Haig. They get married on the Helicarrier, then settle down on a remote island in Ireland, becoming caretakers for the island.This is a 100% Domestic Philinda Fic with TONS of Innuedos, Philinda quality time, and how being married to an advanced LMD with Chronicom hardware has some extreme advantages.Lots of this fic has been inspired by the conversations on the Philindaverse podcast, in particular, about charging, rusting, and oil :). Enjoy!
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 30
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

Melinda and Phil were settling into their new routine after getting married just two weeks previous on the helicarrier. Mack had presided over the wedding and Daisy, Sousa, and Kora were able to video into the ceremony once they were out of the nebula.

Because it didn’t take very long after their reunion to realize one thing: that Phil and Melinda deeply loved each other. And it was absurd to think that Phil would just travel the world without the woman that he has loved, fought for, and died for.

It took so long for them to get together after returning to the Lighthouse simply because Mack threw them into work right away. Melinda, getting the Academy ready, hiring staff, figuring out how it would be built, all the logistics involved in creating a new SHIELD Academy. And then, Phil, who was busy rebuilding SHIELD with his expanse knowledge. Then, when Melinda moved across the country to teach and Phil knee deep in SHIELD work, they barely had time to talk, let alone restart their relationship.

That all changed after the reunion. Phil had finally been released from his duties in helping rebuild SHIELD, Mack had rebuilt him Lola, complete with flying abilities. The first place he went? To visit Melinda, of course. Sure, he’d acted a bit hard to get at the reunion, but he didn’t want to betray his plan. Melinda was so good at reading him. He’d had plans to buy Haig and surprise her at the Academy. Mack had kept him busy for far longer than he expected. He’d had a ring and Haig in his plans forever, but now he had Lola and a sabbatical from SHIELD.

So, he flew straight to the Academy, taking small naps as it flew across the country. He’d arrived at Melinda’s door, proposed on site, and within just a couple months, they were married.

He’d been terrified that Mel would say no, but instead, when she saw him, she threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss.

That night had been a good one, and Melinda had realized the advantages of the Chronicom hardware that Fitz and Simmons had put in Phil. She’d called him the energizer bunny that night, for obvious reasons.

So, of course, once they got married, they had decided to settle in Ireland after a quick visit with Fitz, Simmons, and Alya. Fitz had built him a portable charger, if he needed a recharge for any reason. Theoretically his batteries should keep him fresh for the next 1,000 years, but occasionally he might need a quick charge here and there.

When asked what part he should plug in, Fitz just grinned, “Honesty any body part works.”

Melinda smirked, “Any body part?”

Simmons caught on to Mel’s innuendo, and just coughed, “Um, yes, theoretically…”

Phil and Fitz were oblivious of course.

“And Coulson, if your joints ever get rusty, here’s a natural oil you can use. It’s safe for human skin too. Just rub it all over if you get a little stiff.” Fitz said deadpan, without even realizing what he was saying.

Melinda spat out the tea she was having, “He has oil? What about those hard to reach spots?”

Fitz replied, not even thinking, “Oh you can help him with that. Rub some oil on him.”

Now Phil understood what was going on, and he went a deep shade of red, “Uh…thanks Fitz. For everything. So….Mel and I are gonna head back to the hotel. Thanks for the charger…and oil.”

Simmons couldn’t hold her laughter any longer, “Just keep him loose and charged, Melinda.”

Melinda cracked a smile too with Fitz all of the sudden realizing all the things he said could be taken in a very spicy way. “Ohhhh ohhhhh. Um. Yeah. I mean…uhhhhhh. I’m going to check on Alya now.”

Simmons gave a wink at Phil and Melinda, “Enjoy your honeymoon, you two. And please, let us know if you have any questions about any of Phil’s abilities. Maybe just email them directly. I don’t think Fitz could handle the details.”

Melinda grinned, smacked Phil on the ass, and replied, “Thanks Simmons. I appreciate it. I definitely appreciate his abilities.”

That had been all but a week ago, and Phil and Melinda were deciding how to spend their days, starting with an extended time in Ireland. It was summer, so the weather was good, and the beer and whiskey were even better.

Phil looked up from a newspaper, that man, despite being a highly sophisticated robot version of himself, still loved the analog: newspaper, vinyl, phone calls, you name it.

“Melinda, how would we like to become owners of a coffee shop on an island in Ireland?”

Melinda looked over at him, “What now?”

Phil showed her the newspaper ad, “Great Blasket Island. They need a couple, caretakers who will serve coffee and tea and manage the cottages. No wifi or electricity. Fitz’ charger runs off solar, so no issues there.”

“Huh. Could be fun. Besides, I’m pretty sure I can’t spend the next 6 months in Irish pubs drinking far too much whiskey.” Melinda answered, actually considering it.

“I’ll call the place. Let’s apply! Come on, it’ll be fun.” Phil said, putting his hand on Mel’s. The two liked to keep busy, and serving tea, coffee, and cleaning cottages didn’t seem too bad. Besides, no wi-fi or electricity (other than Phil) would be a good way to unplug. While SHIELD could technically find a way to contact them, it would be harder.

“As long as you tell Daisy we might be incommunicado for awhile.” Melinda warned. He knew that Phil and Daisy emailed each other back and forth every day.

“If we get it. But yeah. I can always fly Lola back to the mainland every so often to get word out,” Phil said, already getting excited about being on a remote island with Melinda. Sure, there had been Tahiti, but he hadn’t been there. The other Phil had. He was more than ready to have some serious quality time with Melinda with few interruptions.

And who knows, maybe they would never return to SHIELD in any capacity. Of course, there were always young powered people that needed guidance, so Phil figured it wouldn’t be too many years before another needed their help.

But for now, he’d be content having Melinda’s undivided attention for the next couple of years.


	2. Feeling Rusty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil and Melinda settle into being caretakers of the Irish Isles. 
> 
> When Phil feels a bit stiff due to the cold air and wind, he decides to try out the massage oil that Fitz designed for him.
> 
> As it turns out, the oil is quite fun, and works for Melinda too.
> 
> [SPICY PHILINDA ALERT: sexual content, mature rating for this chapter]

Phil had sent in the application for the caretaker position and didn’t actually expect to get accepted. So when the owners of the cottages at Great Blasket Island called him the next week, he had to discuss it more with Melinda.

“I don’t know, Phil. It’s a pretty big undertaking,” Melinda had expected their honeymoon to be a bit more relaxing.

“We serve tea and coffee, and we clean some cottages in between stays. Not that hard. We’ve saved the world, rebuilt SHIELD how many times? This will be cake,” Phil gave one of his sappy grins, which Melinda had fallen in love with many years before.

“Alright. You don’t have to pull my arm,” Melinda gave one of her small grins in return.

Phil just smirked, and accepted the offer.

Within a few weeks, they were settled into island life. It was very different than Tahiti, not that Phil exactly knew. He only had memories of the place and knowledge, but not real experience, sadly. But he was happy that May had decided to accept him as Coulson. Phil knew it took accepting himself first, that gave Melinda the confidence.

The cottage they were given was small, with a fireplace, two reading chairs, and a bed. While the cottage was simple, the views were stunning. After years of living in underground bases, or in space, or on a plane, being in such open air with the wind and waves and ocean roaring all day, every day, it was a fresh reprieve.

After a morning of serving tea and coffee to the guests, Melinda and Phil went on a cold but brisk walk to the ocean. Melinda cuddled into Phil, who was surprisingly warm. There were still moments where she forgot he wasn’t all flesh and blood, not that it mattered at this point, but the fact that his body felt 100% human always shocked her.

Phil put his arms around here as Melinda hid from the icy wind. “It’s a cold one today. Definitely not a warm island.”

Melinda smiled into his chest, “You’re like a portable heater at least. Besides, our cottage is cozy. It’s fun to go out in the cooler weather than come back and warm up in the fire.”

Phil did indeed like their routine. After their morning duties, they would go explore the island, go climb the sea cliffs, walk the seashore, pick up rocks. It was summer, but with it being so far in the North, it wasn’t warm most days. Not with the wind and exposure. So they’d get cold from their walks, faces red, then go start the fire in their cottage. Once they were warm and cozy, that’s when the fun would begin.

“That is an advantage, Mel. I like warming up to you next to the fire. I’m glad we got those extra blankets, it makes a nice nest,” Phil smiled, thinking about what was going to happen when they got to the cottage.

“Mating nest.” Melinda laughed at her own joke.

“I bet you can’t go a whole day without saying an innuendo,” Phil stroked her hair, then grabbed her hand, “Why don’t we go back to our mating nest?”

“Ha, see I’m already influencing you. Phil, we’re married, saying innuendoes is one of the best parts of being together. We get to ACT on our jokes as opposed to just adding to the 30 year long sexual tension,” Melinda liked the feel of his hand in hers. She’d always enjoyed his little touches here and there, even when they were just friends and partners. They’d always had that level of comfort with each other.

“Come on, let’s get back. Ooo, feeling a bit stiff actually,” Phil said, wondering if the high salt content and cold air could affect his Chronicom hardware more than the base did.

“Do you still have that oil that Fitz gave you?” Melinda asked, a bit concerned, but also kind of excited about the potentials of oiling up her husband.

“Yes, back at the cottage. I guess we can add it to our fire and chill routine,” Phil kissed Melinda deeply, adding a little suck at the end with her lips.

“I’ll help you with those ‘hard to reach’ spots, love” Melinda increased her pace, wanting to get back to the cottage pronto.

Once they got back, Phil found the oil while Melinda made the fire. After reading the instructions, he handed the bottle to Melinda. “So looks like we just rub it all over, sit in the fire, and it will absorb into the skin and joints. Looks like it works for humans too. Basically just a peppermint oil, shea, with some extra ingredients that Fitz designed.”

“Peppermint? Won’t that be tingly?” Melinda wondered, also imagining how it would feel on her skin.

“Honestly, after traveling by electro-teleportation, I kind of like the tingles,” Phil admitted, one interesting aspect of being made of some metal.

“Alright, so…how should we do this?” Melinda gave her classic seductive smirk.

Phil gulped, despite being married to Melinda for almost two months, she always took his breath away. “You could start with helping me remove some layers.”

That was all the hint Melinda needed. It wasn’t as much about Phil’s stiff body as it was the desire to have Melinda rubbing tingly oil all over him.

She began to slowly take off his shirt, then his pants, underwear, until he was bare. You’d never know all the mechanics underneath the skin, he looked as human as human can be. Down to the chest hair. Phil, already excited, was looking forward to the oil. It would be soothing in his stiff joints, but it would also be quite seductive. “So, me first or us at the same time?”

Melinda responded by removing her clothing, then grabbing the oil. She rubbed it over his shoulders first, his neck, then moved gradually down. When she hit his hips, Phil shuddered in excitement. “Okay, okay, my turn…ooooo that is tingly.”

Phil responded by grabbing a handful of the oil, rubbing it on her neck, shoulders, down her breasts, her curves, and down to her hips as well. “Wow, you’re right, this is tingly. Sexy, but tingly.”

Now that the two were covered in tingly oil, they grabbed each other hard, careful not to slip from each other’s grip. It didn’t take long before Mel was on top of Phil, thrusting into him.

The extra sensations, along with Phil getting looser by the moment, made Melinda’s eyes roll back in pleasure. Then, the time came, and they collapsed into each other in exhaustion. “Okay, that stuff works good.” Melinda breathed out.

“I’ll have to remind Fitz to send us more. I’ll just make the excuse that the harsh island conditions will call for regular use of the oil.” Phil laughed, thinking of what Fitz would think if he knew the real purpose behind more oil.

“Ha, I mean, it was quite the experience. I’m both hot and cold now. I’m sweating and shivering,” Melinda responded, realizing she probably used too much of the oil. “But I like it. It’ll keep things interesting.”

Phil laughed as he caressed Mel’s curves. “I think everyday is interesting with you. Whether or not we have sensational sex or not. Which, of course, we will.”

“Sensational, that’s a good one. It was quite sense-ational.” Melinda chuckled, always appreciating Phil’s dad jokes, even if she never really had expressed it before.

“See, I do innuendos too, they are just cheesy ones,” Phil gave Mel another kiss, then moving to her ear for a nip.

“You’re my Philly Cheesesteak.” Melinda squirmed as he tickled her ear with his tongue. “Ah! That tickles.”

“Philly Cheesesteak? I like that.” Phil continue to lick her ear until she tickled him back.

“Hey, you aren’t ticklish anymore! No fair.” Melinda complained, knowing the past Coulson was highly ticklish.

“Hold on, I’ll adjust that,” Phil replied, moving Melinda hands back on his hip where she lightly caressed it.

“Oh, now I’m ticklish. Ah! Mel!”

“You can program yourself?” Melinda asked, not realizing that Phil had this ability.

“On small things yes. I can decide if I want to get drunk or not, be ticklish or not. Important things for a super spy robot,” Phil laughed. He rarely turned off the drunk capability because it was ultra fun to get tipsy with Mel. They’d gotten a whole case of Haig for their wedding and had brought the stash to the island.

“Good to know. So, can you adjust…other things?” Melinda looked down at his crotch.

“Uhhh….not the size, if that’s what you mean. But I can make sure it’s always…you know, ready,” Phil reddened at this. He actually didn’t know if this ability until their engagement night.

“Yes, I do remember you being quite active the night you proposed. I’m the one that tired out that time,” Melinda said, surprised because she had always been able to outpace the men in her life.

But of course, Phil was no ordinary man. And she was perfectly okay with that.

“Well, we better clean up and get ready for our caretaker duties. Haig and chill tonight?” Phil asked, grabbing Melinda and pulling her up into him.

“I think I could do another round tonight, the oil actually made it super loose too,” Mel responded, giving Phil a nip on the neck, then going to retrieve her clothes.

“I like being married to you,” Phil replied, staring at his wife as she got dressed.

“You are such a sap. But yes, it’s wonderful. I think my favorite part is we get each other. No aliens, ships, rebellious young adults, just us,” Melinda smiled. The two of them had faced more pain and trauma than most do in three lifetimes. And they’d even died a few times. Phil wasn’t even in the same body.

“I know you miss him, still. The other me,” Phil got serious as he got dressed himself.

“I do. Just as you mourn not being him. But what is grief, if not love persevering?” Melinda said, as she looked over at a photo of a young Phil and her in their early days of missions.

“That’s beautiful, Mel. Where did you hear that from?” Phil liked the idea that love and grief could go together hand in hand. That you truly didn’t know what love was until you lost it. Or almost lost it.

“I read it somewhere, I can’t tell you when or where I saw it, but it’s a line that’s stayed with me, all these years. With Andrew, with you, with Lincoln, with Tripp, all those we’ve lost.” Melinda answered, looking a bit somber.

“I think we should get that framed sometime. With photos of who we have lost, including each other. To remind us of what we’ve lost, but also what we’ve gained,” Phil gave Melinda a soft hug. He knew there would always be a bit of sadness in the both of them. Pain. Regret. But that’s what made them who they were. Why they fell in love each other slowly over so many years.

“Okay, love. We will. For now, I guess we have some guests to check on,” Melinda said, going back to her cheerful self. Well, cheerful for Melinda that is. She still had never gone back to that May he’d known just right out of the Academy. The lighthearted, joking, warm Melinda he knew. But she was something different. Stronger. Refined. Like aged wine, she’d grown more beautiful, stronger, more amazing by the years. He knew he’d never get back that to that young Melinda, just as she would never get her young Coulson back.

They could only look forward. To a more peaceful time, boring even. And he could hardly wait.


	3. Making Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil learns how to play guitar and serenades Melinda.
> 
> The two talk about life, the past, and enjoy each other's company during a stormy weekend.
> 
> More on Phil's "abilities", as well as touching on Melinda's empathic abilities.
> 
> A sweet, fluffy chapter that turns spicy.

It was a rare weekend that there were no guests on the island. A big storm had rolled in, now that it was turning to fall, so any reservations had been cancelled. Which meant that Phil and Melinda were cooped up in the cottage while the storm rolled through.

Not that the two minded. You’d think after making love nearly every day since they’d gotten together would get boring, but it was different every time. Especially considering Phil’s attachments and abilities.

But it wasn’t just the sex, but the simple act of being together. It was waking up and staring at each other in adoration. It was falling asleep to the sound of their voice. It was hearing the singing in the shower, it was the sight of reading a book by the fire, gentle and soft light silhouetting the one you love.

At no point in their lives since they’d known each other that they’d been able to just be. To explore hobbies, to just talk, to just sit and drink scotch or tea or coffee while watching the sunrise over the ocean.

On that morning, Melinda woke up to the soft sound of Phil strumming a guitar, one he’d brought back on his most recent trip to the mainland to get supplies. She’d heard him sing before, just casually while on missions or at the base, but this time he was focusing on his voice, the strum of the guitar, and the beat. His voice was soulful, ringing out through the small cottage.

She listened to the lyrics before walking in to the room.

_“Wher_ _е_ _you and I, as different as snowflakes/Sid_ _е_ _-by-side, start to melt into something/You and I, we'll find the ocean we come from, woah-oh-oh/Where you and I, like a symphony ringing/Side-by-side, my drums and your singing/You and I, we'll find the ocean we come from, woah-oh-oh”_

Tears in her eyes, Melinda stepped into the room, with Phil noticing as he met her eyes, a glint of a smile in them. “That’s beautiful, Phil.”

“I didn’t write it, but I did feel like it described us. I’ve been listening to it on repeat and taught myself how to play it,” Phil admitted as Melinda sat down next to him on the love seat.

“I love that you learned it. Have you ever played guitar before? I don’t think I ever remembered that,” Melinda wondered, knowing Phil had always loved music, but didn’t think he knew how to play it himself.

“I played music in middle school and high school. Believe it or not, I was actually kind of a band geek.” Phil had perfect memory due to the Chronicom hardware, which meant he was able to remember how to read and play music from 45 years before.

“Nope, that doesn’t surprise me. I could definitely see you totting around some huge tuba and playing for the pep band,” Melinda smiled at the thought, a skinny kid with thick rimmed glasses attempting to hold the biggest instrument in the band.

Phil scoffed, “For your information, I played the trumpet. And later joined the most epic college ska band ever.”

“What was the name of your band?” Melinda asked, trying to imagine Phil in a ska punk band.

“The Agents of Skank,” Phil said with a glint in his eye.

“Okay, now I know you are pulling my leg,” Melinda chuckled, imagining the SHIELD team all in ska band attire.

“You caught me. I did go to a lot of ska concerts in college though. And I do play a mean trumpet. It’s how I got into ska in the first place. I almost dropped out of college to follow my favorite bands around the country,” Phil blushed, remembering when he’d almost failed out of his classes because he skanked too much.

“I’m sure glad Fury found you before you dropped out. Little did you know you’d save the world, many, many times. What would have happened if you had just become a ska groupie?” Melinda was somehow loving this conversation. Her and Phil rarely just talked about their childhood and adolescent life.

“Probably would have become an actor. Maybe on broadway. Who knows? Maybe I could have played a character in Star Wars? Like a bounty hunter or something.” Phil made lightsaber noises as he moved his guitar around.

“You, playing a bounty hunter? I’d love to see that,” Melinda laughed, imagining Phil in Sarge-like attire with a lightsaber or Mandalorian armor.

Phil looked at Mel, noticing her hair growing longer, her smile fresher than ever before, “I’m sure you would. Maybe we’ll go to a comic con as Star Wars characters. You can play my badass bounty hunter partner. You can wear your hair in braids, have a sniper rifle, this makes me excited just thinking about it.”

“You’re still the same geeky dork I’ve always know, aren’t you,” Melinda decided to move closer to Phil, practically sitting on his lap.

“I am. And you love it. Besides, wouldn’t you like to be in the Star Wars universe?” Phil asked as he pulled her on top of him.

“Sure. Someone put me in Star Wars. Why not? Maybe we’ll become actors after our honeymoon,” Melinda rolled her eyes sarcastically.

“We could be in a romcom together,” Phil replied, now moving his hand under her shirt.

“I think we are already living that out, aren’t we?” Melinda said, as she nibbled on her bottom lip, willing Phil to kiss her.

“Mmhmm, you’re right, we are. I provide the cheesy lines, you provide the sexy fire,” Phil’s mouth turned towards Mel’s, pulling her down to suck her lips.

“You’re sexy too, Phil,” Melinda said in between kissing.

“I know.”

Phil took off her shirt as she took off his and the two made their own music for a long while. The torrential downpour, the potential for more. Sparks could be seen between them, and not just because of Phil’s electric abilities. He could adjust the friction at will, the vibration, and he knew just at the right moment to make Melinda purr.

They released each other, breathless, smiling at the pile of clothes on the side of the couch. “You make good music, Phillip.”

“I know, Mel. Your voice is sweeter though. We make a good duet,” Phil replied as he stroked her bare back in the firelight.

“Mmm, yeah we do.” Mel said softly, enjoying Phil’s touch.

For a long while she couldn’t “feel” him, but that was all changed after she released her empathic abilities on the Chronicoms. She could feel them, and then could feel Phil too. Her abilities had since diminished, to the point she often forgot that she had them unless in a big crowd or when her and Phil were having sex.

She honestly didn’t know her ability to feel Phil until that first night together, when he’d proposed to her. She’d felt his ecstasy as he released into her as much as she felt her own. It had been a euphoric experience, one that almost felt like she was on alien puffies.

After years of suppressing her own feelings and then when she had feelings completely taken away, feeling both her and Phil’s extreme pleasure at the same time was a full circle that she didn’t appreciate until that first night together.

It was also one reason why she’d agreed to the remote island with Phil. With hardly anyone on the island, she didn’t have to feel anyone else but herself and Phil. And the ability was fading over time, in terms of normal human empath abilities. However, it seemed to be increasing with Phil. It’s almost as if the two were now perfectly in tune with each other, their bodies, mind, and souls. Maybe this is what it meant when it was said “the two will become one.”

Melinda turned over to look at Phil in his glacier blue eyes, “I’m so happy you came back. I know you didn’t want to be brought back, but you’re here now. With me. I didn’t know I would ever receive this kind of happiness. I didn’t think I ever deserved it.”

Phil took gently rested his hand on her face, stroking her cheek, “Of course you deserve it Mel. I didn’t deserve to be brought back. I’d had my two chances, that’s two more than anyone else gets. But sometimes fate steps in to rescue the wretched. We were both left for dead, and we both came back. Maybe not in the ways we expected. But we’re always meant to be together. In whatever universe, in whatever timeline. I believe that.”

Melinda leaned into his hand and softly put on her own on his, “I love you, Phillip.”

“I love you Melinda.”

The rest of the weekend was filled with Phil serenading Melinda with songs he was learning, Melinda finally getting around to reading a book she’d been putting off, and Phil and Melinda giving each other a few more “tingly massages.”

Melinda was exhausted by the end, Phil never was tired anymore, but he still slept with Melinda, even though he never needed sleep. Sometimes though, he’d get up to stretch his body, and Melinda would hear him softly singing, then climb back into bed with her.

She didn’t think she’d ever tire of Phil’s voice as she drifted off to sleep. She was in love. And he was hers.


	4. Thought Experiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil grapples again with his existence and wonders if he should try to get back the real Phil for Melinda.
> 
> The two have a very deep conversation and reminisce on the past. 
> 
> It's a bit of an angsty chapter, but I also wanted to really emphasize how much Phil grew as a person since the Season 7 Finale and Melinda's acceptance of him. Which was touched on in Season 7 Episode 12, but I wanted to explore it deeper.
> 
> [Some final spicy Philinda bits at the end, because writing them making love is wonderful]
> 
> [This will be my last chapter for now, but I may end up writing more if I need more domestic Philinda]
> 
> [Also very minor spoilers to the WandaVision finale, I use a quote from the show that echoed exactly what I was writing at the time, and I was amazed how in line it was with my original thoughts before I watched the episode]

It was finally a warm day, and Phil and Melinda didn’t have any guests on the island until the next morning. Phil had gone out to test the solar charger that Fitz had designed for him, while Melinda was making cold drinks while they lounged in the sun.

Phil plugged in using just his finger, but was slightly tempted to plug in with another body part, just to make Melinda laugh. But he figured for testing purposes, this made more sense. Besides, he was in an introspective mood today, as opposed to a romantic one. He closed his eyes and let the charger do its job. He didn’t really need to charge, but he figured it was a good way to test out the tech, on this rare, sunny day out on the rugged island.

Melinda brought out the drinks, cold brew with Irish whiskey and set it on the side table near their lounge chairs. His eyes closed, almost as if he looked shutdown. It brought her back to that moment. When she looked over and saw him in Tahiti, his eyes closed, his breathing slowing and slowing until all was quiet.

She began to softly cry at the memory, and tried to wipe her eyes quickly to cover it up. Phil stirred, and looked over at her.

“Melinda? Are you okay? Sorry, dozed off there. Well, as much as I can fall asleep. I guess on stand-by mode?” Phil tried to joke, trying to relieve Melinda’s melancholy.

“Sorry, Phil, I…you laying like that, not moving, in the sun, it reminded me of when of the day, you…I mean, he died,” Melinda sat down next to Phil and put her hand in his.

Phil looked over at his wife. He’d been giving so much thought lately to the fact that he wasn’t the first Coulson. He tried to not let it affect him, but it weighed on his mind heavily. He knew that Melinda loved and accepted him as he was. But he also knew that she mourned the other him every day.

“Melinda. If we could bring him back…would you want to? I’ve been sending emails to Fitz back and forth when I go to the mainland and…if you’d rather have him back, Fitz believes we can do it,” Phil gazed at Mel with his blue eyes.

  
“I…Phil. No. There’s no going back to him. Yes. I know, we’ve changed the timelines before. We’ve brought Sousa back, Deke went to a different timeline. But, those changed us every time. What’s to say it won’t change again?” Melinda had given this more thought than she would admit to Phil. She had wondered why they couldn’t have gone back to Tahiti right after they were dropped off and throw him in the healing pod. Surely he wouldn’t protest to that. She’d come back to life from the healing pod herself, so Phil wouldn’t be opposed to it. But after talking it through with Simmons one very early morning when they had visited, May had determined there was too much risk of going wrong.

“Are you sure? I love you, truly, deeply. But I would be more than willing to shutdown so you could be with him. The real him,” Phil’s eyes were glistening.

Melinda drew in Phil for a long, passionate kiss. “No, you are mine, Phil. The old Phil, that was a different timeline. It was a different me. I’m a different version of myself, yes, arguably the same body, but my soul is different. When I died, I went there, Phil. I saw you there. Because when you died, you went there too. And when we were both brought back, however many times now, it created a new timeline, a new multi-verse. Another path.”

“You have become philosophical, haven’t you?” Phil thought back to their first true conversation about their feelings, back at Lighthouse Base.

Melinda just rolled her eyes, but continued, “You see, every time one of us died, and came back, whether it’s this body or another one, it creates a new path. There’s infinite timelines and infinite parallel universes. There’s timelines where we get together after Russia. There’s timelines where we meet each other in high school. There’s timelines where you really died in New York and didn’t come back. There’s timelines where I died in Bahrain. Or you died in Bahrain. You see, this is just another timeline. The other Coulson, the one that died in Tahiti, he’s gone now. Whether or not we could go back to that specific timeline, it doesn’t matter. He’s happily with me in whatever afterlife, Heaven, maybe, He’s with the other Melinda who died.”

“Mel. That’s. Wow, that’s a beautiful and somber way to think about things. But I think you are right. In this timeline, it’s human Melinda and robot Phil. Maybe in another timeline, it’s robot May and human Phil.” Just then, Phil broke eye contact with May, remembering his very spicy kiss with robot May.

Melinda smirked as she noticed Phil breaking eye contact, “You’re thinking of that kiss, aren’t you. You told me ALL about it in Tahiti, how you swapped some serious tongue with my robot self.”

Phil blushed, remembering the kiss very vividly, “Did I tell you how I knew it wasn’t you?”

“Apparently her mouth had a very metallic taste to it,” Melinda grimaced at this idea.

“Yeah, it was weird. Wait…I don’t have metallic taste when you kiss me, right? You’d tell me,” Phil was all of the sudden concerned.

Mel chuckled and kissed him again, this time sliding her tongue through his lips, “All I taste is whiskey and coffee.”

Phil melted at Melinda tonguing him, “Well, that’s a relief.”

Melinda went off him for a second with another serious look. “So we’re good, right? You’re okay?”

Phil nodded, “Yeah, you know, I am. It reminds me of something I read when I first got booted up. Have you heard of the Ship of Theseus thought experiment?”

“I have, I believe we studied it at the Academy? It was the one Philosophy course we had to take at Operations.”

“Yes, we took a few more than you did at Communications, I think. So when the no original plank remains, is it still the Ship of Theseus?”

Melinda nodded, and added, “And if those removed planks are restored and reassembled, free of the rot, is that still the Ship of Theseus?

Phil continued, “Neither is the true ship. Both are the true ship.”

Melinda couldn’t help but smile now, feeling peace in her heart. She’d accepted this Phil has her Phil awhile ago, but seeing Coulson come to the same conclusion, after months of soul searching, was a relief. They could both mourn the old Phil and the old Melinda, but neither were the same person they were. Melinda had the same body, but was not the same person she was when they had both met 30 years before. Bahrain changed that, dying twice changed that, losing her emotions changed that, losing Phil multiple times had changed that. Just as Phil, when he died in New York, died in Tahiti, when he came back as Sarge, and now back as an LMD Chronicom. There were more versions of themselves now that they could count.

But right now, they had each other. In this present timeline, in this world, it was just Phillip J. Coulson and Melinda May.

“Phil, I’m here with you now. Let’s stop looking at the past and just look toward our present and future together,” Melinda finished her own Irish coffee, which was mostly whiskey and a drop of coffee, she still had a hard time with the taste, unless it was on Phil’s tongue.

The sun was still shining, and Melinda had brought out a pile of blankets near the chairs. She moved back to Phil’s chair and straddled him as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

“So I guess you mean, shut up and make love to you?”

“Mmm, yes” Melinda said, as she kissed up his chest and nibbled on his ear.

She moved to unbutton his pants and dragged them down slowly.

“Out here?”

“What, you think the birds will care if I’m giving you a blow job?”

“I guess not…ohhhhh Melinda….ohhhh” Phil couldn’t speak anymore because Melinda was doing a little of her own tasting.

The birds in fact, didn’t care, but they did fly off once Melinda and Phil shouted in pure elation as they both reached climax at the same time.

The two collapsed on the grass with blankets over them to keep from the chilly wind. While the sun was warm, being naked right on the windy coast was a bit much. So they intertwined with each other in afterglow, watching the waves and enjoying the birds look at them with caution.

Melinda rested her head on his chest, feeling the rhythm of his breathing. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Not many people got to have their lovers back. She’d mourned Phil, many times, but he always came back. And she was incredibly thankful.

“I love you Phillip.”

“I love you, Mel”

The two fell asleep under the sunny coastal sky, feeling a contentment that they hadn’t ever felt in their lives. They didn’t know what their future held, not in the long term, anyways, but for now, Phil and Melinda had each other, and a love that transcended time and death. They were one.


End file.
